Oh, the Horror!

As these recent DVD releases testify, it’s been a scary year for Hollywood and we’re not just talking about the slump at the box office. Let the horror movie marathon begin!

Alone in the Dark
Christian Slater and a team of scientists journey to a secluded island and fight ancient demons.Fear factor: The only thing frightening about this film is the casting of Tara Reid as an anthropologist.

Boogeyman
Is the Boogeyman real? WB star Barry Watson returns to his childhood home to find out if there's life’s after Seventh Heaven.Fear factor: Like many current fright flicks, the greatest shocks occur in the first 15 minutes.

George Romero’s Land of the Dead(Release date: Oct. 18)
Killer zombies have taken over the world! (Again.)Fear Factor: Sure, you've seen him do it before, but genre master Romero reanimates corpses like nobody else.

The Grudge
A Japanese home is haunted by the family that was murdered in it, and not even a kick-ass Sarah Michelle Gellar can overpower them.Fear Factor: You'll have to decide for yourself whether the dead boy's scream is as freaky as his blank stare.

Hide and Seek
Who's responsible for all these dead people turning up? A pale-faced Dakota Fanning or her supposedly imaginary friend?Fear Factor: Using creepy kids is one of the oldest tricks in the book. And it still works. Blood-curdling.

House of Wax(Release date: Oct. 25)
College co-eds get chased by small-town psychos looking to add to their wax collection.Fear Factor: It’s pleasure more than panic when Paris Hilton gets impaled through the forehead.

The Amityville Horror
A Long Island home is haunted by the family that was murdered in it, and not even a cast of C-list actors can overpower them.Fear Factor: The creepy-looking house evokes terror more than the run-of-the-mill camera tricks. Rent the 1979 version.

The Ring 2
The killer videotape is back, and it's brought Sissy Spacek with it.Fear Factor: Is this a sequel or a spoof? You'll be more likely to laugh at the car-chasing deer than you are to jump out of your seat.